Reiter's Camera Phone Report

Photopreneur posts good tips for taking camera phone photo that sell

“Photopreneur” has written “17 Ways to Take Camera Phone Photos that Sell,” that has worthwhile suggestions about how to take photos and what subjects to take.

Some suggestions include:

*  Take unconventional shots, such as holding the phone above your head, shooting around corners and interesting angles.

*  Photograph images of celebrities in interesting situations, such as a kiss or “a mouth full of pie.”

*  “Become a bounty hunter” to be on the lookout for specific subjects

*  Take images that aren’t covered by professional photographers, such as images in the stands during sporting events, during small demonstrations of “a witty banner or a painted face” or of fans around a stage door during or after a concert.

Business apps

Here’s one I especially like:  “If you’re not a professional photographer, take your camera phone to work and take regular snaps behind the scenes.  Again, these images are unlikely to end up on a gallery wall, but they will bring in potential customers and give you product sales.”

Among the many problems with the way cellular operators run their camera phone businesses, the lack of virtually any information on the corporate ramifications of wireless imaging is one of their worst mistakes.  Most of the operators — and handset vendors — are clueless about the value of promoting enterprise applications and, instead, concentrating almost exclusively on consumer applications with nary a nod to business uses.

Depressing conversation: Lack of movement in U.S. camera phone business

I was speaking to an executive at a photography association who understands not just the “traditional” photo market but also camera phones.  The conversation was rather depressing because he discussed how cellular operators in the United States seem to be ignoring photo retailers and the camera phone business in general.

He noted how a few years ago the operators were gung ho about trying to recruit photo retailers to become involved in camera phone sales.  Now, he says, that effort is basically dead and the operators have moved on to other applications, such as wireless music and mobile television.

So he was pondering what role photo retailers can play in the camera phone business.  This is not easy because it requires more proactive marketing by photo retailers and better quality handsets.

Don’t rely on the operators

I said to him that when I consult for companies in the mobile data business (it’s my business after all) I always look at ways to generate income that don’t require participation by cellular operators. 

Some content providers just don’t understand (at least at first) that they are one of hundreds or thousands of providers who are working with cellular operators and the operators typically don’t have the time or interest to spend market individual companies.

That’s not a hard and fast rule, but it’s a good one to follow.  Being placed on the handset’s “deck” and among the many other applications that may be searched is all too often that last step the operators take with many content providers.

Be proactive

So for photo retailers who want cellular operators to spend much time with them — when camera phones aren’t generating the gobs of cash the operators had originally projected — is pretty much a forelone hope.  Cellular operators would much rather spend time with big-name companies that can also spend big bucks to market their own mobile content rather than just relying on the operators.

To be fair, the cellular operators have a point.  Content providers that expect the operators to do all their work don’t understand what the mobile business is all about and how the carriers operate.

If photo retailers want to become players in the camera phone business they are going to have to be more proactive — without the cellular operators.  They could, for example, help their customers understand how to get their photos out of their phone for printing.  They could help their customers learn about camera phones that take the best photos and how to take better photos.

They could help them learn about photo accessories, ranging from photo albums to dog collars.  They could distribute brochures with this information around their store.  They could hold consumer-oriented camera phone seminars.

Lagging on better camera phones

Unfortunately, the U.S. cellular operators aren’t moving as fast as they could — or should — by introducing better-quality camera phones.  It’s not that better phones aren’t available.

As I’ve written many, many times, VGA camera phones are awful.  Camera phones with 1.3 megapixel cameras are the bare minimum that should be sold in this country — and this assumes the quality is at the upper end, rather than the lower end.

It’s when you get to two megapixel camera phone photos that many consumers are going to stop complaining about their “crappy camera phone pictures.”  This assumes that those two megapixel handsets incorporate components and software that produce higher quality images. 

High resolution (relatively speaking) alone doesn’t produce good photos, as I’ve also written many times.

Ofcom "Communications Market Report" says U.K. users most aware of camera on phone

A big (330–page) U.K. government report on the state of wired and wireless communications contains a wealth of information on a wide range of technologies and applications, including a bit of good news about camera phones.

The Office of Communications’ (Ofcom) “Communications Market Report” (available in three sections plus summaries) says that based on surveys the non-voice feature of cellular phones that consumers are most aware of (not including SMS) is the camera.  Sixty five percent of cellular users are aware their phone has a camera and 41 percent have used the camera (see below).

The report notes the percentage of awareness is likely to increase as consumers replace their phones with newer models and as greater percentages of phones include cameras.  Currently, 84 percent of handsets sold in the U.K. incorporate a camera.

Why are cameras No. 1?

Why are cellular subscribers most aware of the camera even though other features (such as games) were introduced earlier?  Ofcom speculates, “It is interesting to note that the awareness of the camera feature is highest, followed by games and alarms, which have been available for longer as mobile phone functions. 

“This may be because the camera is a physical part of the handset, which is more difficult to overlook than a menu item or because there has been more publicity about camera function than other features.”

The report notes the majority of consumers who were surveyed said the features on their phones didn’t affect their use of dedicated devices.  However, Ofcom reports that a “significant minority” say their use of dedicated devices has decreased because of features on handsets.

Indeed, 38 percent of consumers surveyed say their use of regular cameras has decreased because of the cameras on the phones (see below) — as well as decreases in the use of other standalone devices because of cellular features.  Moreover this could be just the beginning of less use of dedicated devices.

Ofcom says, “As the level of sophistication of these features on mobile phones has only recently approached that of basic level specialist devices. the impact has probably not yet been felt in the replacement lifecycle of the separate device.”

Not all good news for new features

Ofcome has bad news, however, for proponents of mobile television (as I am).  Mobile televison didn’t fare as well — to say the least — as camera phone awareness and use.  Check out the article I’ll posted later tonight on my “Reiter’s Mobile TV Report.”

Don't forget — if you’re at all interested in the U.K. telecommunications environment — Internet, WiFi, cellular, broadcast/cable television, etc. — be sure to check out the entire Ofcom report.  MocoNews.net has a brief summary of the report and BBC News has a detailed article about the report’s findings plus two video reports.

RIM says no camera in BlackBerry 8800 is a "feature" for corporations

Mike Lazaridis, the president and co-CEO of Research in Motion (RIM), says the lack of a camera in the new BlackBerry 8800 (see left) is a "feature" for corporations, according to an article in The New York Times.  The 8800 is similar to the BlackBerry Pearl 8100 -- with a trackball rather than the scrollwheel, an MP3 player, microSD card and video viewing -- but without the 8100's 1.3 megapixel camera.

The article reports, "...Mr. Lazaridis said that corporate users concerned about security made it clear that they did not want a digital camera, which is not to be found on the 8800.  'There’s a very strong demand out there for BlackBerrys without a camera,' Mr. Lazaridis said.

"'Not having one, that’s a feature.'"

Disabling features not good enough

The Times' article points out certain features of the 8800 (like the 8100) -- the microSD card, MP3 player and video player -- can be disabled via a corporation's BlackBerry server software, as I've previously written.  The Times doesn't note that the 8100's camera also can be disabled but, apparently, that's not good enough for many corporations that don't want a camera -- period.

As I've written many times, although some corporations have legitimate security concerns, some corporations simply are concerned about being sued because of the possibility of an employee (or employees) taking inappropriate camera phone photos or videos of other employees.  As I've also written, the wireless industry -- both cellular operators and handset vendors -- have refused to market the value of camera phones for business applications.

As a result, this lack of marketing helps foster a one-sided (i.e., negative) view of camera phones because corporate executives often don't see the corresponding positive side.  Cellular operators and handset manufacturers that don't promote the value for business -- on the Web sites and in marketing materials -- are doing themselves and their customers a disservice.

Another QWERTY keyboard with camera?

RIM's first entry into the semi-consumer, multimedia, handset market with the 8100 was a very good initial effort.  The phone is not quite a true multimedia powerhouse because, among other things, it doesn't offer video recording capabilities.

RIM a few months ago was nice enough to send me the 8100 to test, and I like the camera.  I haven't yet posted photos I've taken with the handset (shame on me), but for a 1.3 megapixel resolution, the images are some of the best in its class.

I like the 8100.  It's a sleek, lightweight device that feels good in the hand and many people prefer its slim form compared to the wider BlackBerrys.  But I'm really a fan of the 8700 (see below) because of its full QWERTY keyboard that makes entering text much easier and faster (at least for me) than the two-letters-per-key 8100.

Hope springs eternal

There have been rumors of a QWERTY keyboard-based BlackBerry with a camera and other "Pearlized" features.  I guess we'll have to wait for a while to see whether that will be a reality.

Russian hospital patient's camera phone video highlights "gagged" babies

Russians are shocked over reports of a nurse who put tape over babies' mouths and also taped pacifiers to their mouths to prevent their crying.  The situation is undoubtedly generating more publicity because of a woman patient in the hospital who used her camera phone to video record a baby in a cot with tape over his mouth (see left).

According to the many news reports, some of which posted the video (such as BBC News and CBS), the woman at the hospital in Yekaterinburg (Russia's fifth largest city) heard the muffled cries of babies and went to see what was going on.  When she saw babies with tape over their mouths, she demanded a nurse remove the tape.

The nurse said the crying was disturbing the staff from doing their work and told the patient to mind her own business, according to the BBC News.  When the patient insisted, the nurse removed the tape, but later placed it back on.

Russian hospital problems

Apparently this isn't an isolated incident.  The Guardian reports, "The case has provoked outrage in Russia and drawn attention to the country's overstretched health system.  Nurses are badly paid and are often responsible for large numbers of patients."

The Guardian says the nurse was responsible for caring for 25 babies, many or all of whom were orphans (news reports aren't sure about that).  Hospital officials have said the tape doesn't completely cover the babies' mouths and it's done not to stop crying but to prevent the pacifier from falling on the floor.

The nurse responsible has been suspended, the head of the hospital has been reprimanded and Russian prosecutors are reviewing the situation.

Camera phone's value

As Dan Gillmor, director of the Center for Citizen Media, writes in his weblog, "And once again, we’re seeing the power of the citizen journalist to force things into the open that institutions don’t want to have the rest of us know about."

Also once again we're seeing the power of camera phones -- devices that are affordable for much of the world and that are carried in situations where a regular camera or video recorder would never be available.

Mumbai reporter takes images of poor Indian students cleaning boarding school

K.A. Dodhiya, a reporter for the Mumbai Mirror, used his camera phone to take photos of poor Indian students who are required to clean the entire school — cleaning toilets, mopping floors, etc. (see left) — that is not required of the wealthier students, according to an article in the newspaper.

The article says, “The boarders this correspondent spoke to while secretly capturing the work they were being made to do on his camera phone, said they do not at all enjoy cleaning the classrooms and toilets they use with their friends during the day.”

Interesting that the reporter used a camera phone to “secretly capture” the boys working.  Yes, it is sometimes easier to unobtrusively take photos with a camera phone.  But there are really small digital cameras (that the reporter might not have had) that take far superior photos.

However, the camera phone photos serve their purpose:  They document the boys cleaning floors and toilets.

Purpose

The article’s purpose isn’t to highlight camera phone photos, of course, but rather to document the students’ cleaning and discuss whether it’s appropriate for a school to require it. 

However, the fuzzy, grainy camera phone photos help to highlight the “secretive” nature of the journalistic assignment — just as poor video and audio from satellite phones highlight that foreign correspondents are indeed overseas.

Yankee Group notes camera problem problems getting resolved

A brief item from the Yankee Group’s just-released “2006 European Mobile Multimedia Survey”:  “Picture messaging — which in the past was dogged by unreliability and poor ease-of-use — seems to have solved those problems.

“Respondents’ main barriers to using picture messaging are price and no need to send picture.”

The survey also examines such wireless applications as music and mobile TV.  Matt Hatton, the research firm’s Wireless/Mobile Europe senior analyst, says in the press release, “The survey results illustrate that mobile operators have some pretty substantial barriers to overcome to drive growth in value-added services.

“Operators are pinning their hopes on advanced applications such as music and TV to drive revenue growth, but they still have a lot of technical, pricing and marketing issues to overcome to drive adoption.  They’ll get there, but maybe not through the services they think.”

Girl's camera phone photo of license plate helps capture would-be abductor

A girl’s camera phone photo of a man who previously tried to abduct her and three girlfriends has helped capture the suspect when the same girls saw the man and took a photo of his license plate, according to an article in CBS Channel 2 in Chicago.

On May 6, Bradley P. Hofstetter drove past four girls, 14 and 15 years old, in Lemont Township, Ill. (about 25 miles from Chicago) and offered them $20 each to get into his Chevrolet sport utility vehicle.  The girls ran away.

Last Tuesday, the same four girls saw him at a McDonald’s.  Two of the girls followed him outside, photographed his license plate and called the police.

Hofstetter has been charged with four counts of child abduction and posted a $100,000 bond.  He’s due back in court on June 27, the article says.

Great use of camera phones

This is the type of story that makes me feel good about camera phones (not, of course, about child abduction!).

Yes, the girls could have written the license plate number on a piece of paper but it’s more likely they’d be carrying a cellular phone than paper and pen or pencil (well, at least if they weren’t going to or coming from school).

Also, taking a photo could conceivably take less time than writing the numbers.  Of course, camera phone photos also could be used to help identify a vehicle, especially if it has any specific markings (scratches, paint job, etc.).

This is just one more instance of how camera phones are used for security applications and how they will, I believe, change consumer interactions and business processes far more than most other wireless technologies/services.

Qualcomm discusses MediaFLO business, but not potential revenues

Qualcomm is promoting the value of its wireless MediaFLO technology for video and audio transmissions, but the company won’t discuss any specifics about revenues.

During yesterday’s analyst/press briefing at Qualcomm’s headquarters, several top executives — including the president — discussed MediaFLO’s technology and general business model, but everyone was mum about projected income.

I tried.  I asked three executives but no answer was forthcoming.  I also took photos (see within the article) with Nokia’s two megapixel N90 camera phone.

MediaFLO in brief

Using a 6 MHz channel, MediaFLO is able to transmit 20 live channels of video, 10 channels of audio, about 800 minutes per day of short video clips (“clipcasting”) that can be downloaded and stored in phones, plus IP datacasting applications (e.g., a stock ticker on the phone).

That mix can be changed to, for example, increase the number of audio channels and decrease the number of videos.

Video can run at 30 frames per second and it takes less than two seconds to switch from channel to channel on the handset.  The battery life for using MediaFLO is about the same as using a phone for voice, according to Qualcomm.

In the United States, MediaFLO will be offered by Verizon Wireless and the two companies are working together to develop content.  Overseas, Qualcomm will play much less of a role as a content aggregator and, instead, focus on providing the platform.

U.S. MediaFLO content

Steve Altman, the president of Qualcomm (see left; digital zoom with .5 megapixel image), said during the briefing that it’s not too difficult to determine the type of content that will be offered in the U.S.

He noted that the basic video package would include, for example, a good sports channel, news channel and kid’s channel.

Altman said it will be more difficult, though, for Qualcomm and Verizon to figure out what non-basic programs subscribers will want to watch….and pay for, of course. 

I asked Altman to provide some idea of the revenues that were expected but he said those numbers were confidential.  He noted that MediaFLO would generate revenues from a variety of sources, ranging from content to chipsets in handsets to licensing fees.

Importance of MediaFLO

Trying to get a feel for revenues, I asked Rob Chandhok, vice president of engineering and market development for Qualcomm (see below; two megapixels), about the importance of MediaFLO to the company.

He didn’t answer directly, but Jeremy James, Qualcomm’s senior director of corporate communications, who was sitting in the audience, tried to place MediaFLO’s importance in perspective, albeit in a general way.

James said it would be useful to look at what Qualcomm had done and would be doing.  For example, he noted that Qualcomm was prepared to invest up to $800 million in MediaFLO.

He pointed to Qualcomm’s purchase of Iridigm Display Corp., that would help, I assume, provide better displays for cellular phones — on which subscribers could view video.

MediaFLO spectrum

Jeffrey Belk, senior vice president of marketing at Qualcomm (see below), said the company paid $38 million (in a Federal Communications Commission auction) for the rights to use nationwide channel 55 in the 700 MHz spectrum.

Qualcomm paid a relative pittance for the spectrum because no one had much of a use for it or knew why Qualcomm wanted it, he said.

I asked Jeff how much money MediaFLO would generate.  He said there are estimates, but no one really knows.

Will people watch?

After Chandhok’s presentation I asked him whether wireless TV would spark the purchase of cellular phones with larger screens.  He said it would, and noted that the sweet spot is the QVGA screen.

Chandhok said that while VGA is, of course, better from a resolution standpoint, when you’re holding a small LCD a foot or two from your face, VGA is overkill.

My camera phone photos

I was sitting three rows from the front.  The N90 is one of the better two megapixel camera phones  and its images were okay, but I could have used an optical zoom!

I tried the digital zoom, knowing that digital zooming is generally pretty awful.  I wasn’t disappointed.

As with many camera phone photos that are taken indoors, all the images were too dark in the “automatic” mode.  Outdoor photos with good lighting typically a much better.

I cropped the photos a bit but I didn’t do any other editing.  If I had simply enhanced the brightness, contrast and sharpness with an image editing program the photos would have been significantly better. 

But I wanted to post the photos pretty much in their raw (not RAW) form.

Buzznet co-founder Anthony Batt discusses strategies, business models

SocialTech.com has a fairly long interview with Anthony Batt, the co-founder of the moblog hosting company Buzznet (see below).

It’s certainly worth reading if you’re interested in not just Buzznet’s vision but also the business model.  Indeed, in the previous entry I wrote about YouTube and wondered how it was going to make money, and then found the socialTech article — where Batt is asked about YouTube.

Benjamin Kuo, the founder, editor and publisher of socialtech.com, interviews Batt, who says “We've sort of got one foot in the social networking space, and another foot in the media space.  We don't really put ourselves in the social network category; we put ourselves in the social media category.”

Buzznet versus YouTube

Batt characterizes YouTube as a “media categorization and sharing system” rather than a community built around content.  Buzznet is “change media.”  He explains:

“For example, if you're a fan of a band, say My Chemical Romance, and you have photos of them, you want to contribute your photos to a place that has all the photos and the community My Chemical Romance.

“The members create their own photos, and we customize that template for them, and we create the social media space for a band.  That's far different from a social network.

“We’re less about the hooking up and more about bringing your media into a social space and letting the community enjoy it….We have a certain voice, a certain angle, which says bring your content here, go ahead and put it elsewhere, but put it here because there's a community of people here interested in your media.

“And around that media, create a social network.”

Business model

Batt says the company was self-funded for a while and has recently received about $1 million from venture capitalists and private investors.  In a few months Buzznet will go after round B financing.

Most the the company’s revenues now are from advertising but there also are revenues from working with companies to help build a community by using Buzznet’s platform.  That’s one of Buzznet’s differentiating factors, Batt says.

“Name a social network — they don't do any deals with brands like that.  We've been able to successfully work with many brands, and many things for publishing firms like Knight Ridder Digital — we do a lot of work for them — and we have a revenue stream from there as well.”

Future business

Buzznet has been targeting record labels in an effort to get them to pay for the moblog platform.  Batt says, “The members who are joining Buzznet usually trainspotters and trendspotters.

“The content that bubbles up is really pop culture-y content, and is really about what is going on.  We attract the very unique user.  It's a much higher quality community.

“I don't want to sound like I'm putting down other social networks, which provide a useful service, but if you compare what we do to magazines, our magazine is upscale a bit.”

More money for more deals

Batt says that “When we raise more money we'll be doing more marketing and reaching out to do some more larger scale media deals and partnering to provide community services to them, and piggy backing on their success as well.”

While I’m on the subject of moblogs, I haven’t read much about textamerica.  I did some consulting for them a few years ago but I have seen them in the news very much. 

I just looked at their site and can’t find any “About” or “Company” or similar link that tells me who the principals are, what the business model is, what corporate services they offer, etc.